Neil Patrick Harris: Season 8 Of How I Met Your Mother Will Most Likely Be Our Last

September 19, 2012 02:18 PM EDT

Despite rumors that “How I Met Your Mother” will continue for two more seasons (and conclude at the end of Season 9), series star Neil Patrick Harris says as far as he knows, the upcoming Season 8 – which premieres on Monday — will be the last go-around for the CBS comedy.

“Our contracts end at [Season] 8, so it’s one of those, you know, if they wanna do 9, they’re welcome to, but we have a lot of other things [going on],” Neil Patrick told AccessHollywood.com’s Laura Saltman at the CBS Fall Preview Party in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “Cobie [Smulders] has got ‘The Avengers’ that just made a billion dollars, Jason [Segel] makes a ton of movies, I’m anxious to move East and Josh [Radnor] is directing and acting in movies as well. So, we all are anxious to move forward.”

If the beloved cast were to agree to a Season 9, NPH said it would have to be incredibly lucrative for any of them to stay.

“I think the only way I think a season 9 or any longer would happen would be [if it were] financially right — that’s the reality of it,” he said. “We love the show, we love doing it – eight years is a long time and we’re as happy a family as we’ve ever been.”

The actor, whose character Barney appears set to marry Cobie’s Robin this season, admitted he has a real life crush on his co-star, who wed longtime love “Saturday Night Live” star Taran Killam earlier this month.

“I’m head over heels in love with Cobie Smulders. She just got married – much to my chagrin. But she married a delightful gentleman,” he said with a laugh. “But I love working with her. She’s like, the coolest chick in the world and she’s so sexy and she’s so talented and so funny.”

Adding, “Doing scenes with her is like a really great day at the office.”